Nielsen to Launch Video-on-Demand Ratings Service Next Month

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2006 - 3:11pm.

New York - Nielsen Media Research announced on Thursday that it will launch a national video-on-demand measurement service next month. Among other things, the service will allow clients to compare the broadcast ratings of a program with that same program's video-on-demand performance.

The company will be able to track programs for clients who have embedded audio watermarking into their on-demand programming, which can be picked up by Nielsen's People Meters. The data will also include household and demographic information on the video-on-demand audience.

"Because video-on-demand is a growing business and a potentially valuable new revenue stream for programmers, it is increasingly important for them to understand who is watching their shows and to be able to compare the viewing that is being done via traditional television and VOD," said Nielsen senior vice president Scott L. Brown.

The company also told The New York Times that it is working on another VOD rating system based on information provided directly from cable TV providers, which is expected to launch in mid-2007.

Related Links:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061116/nyth179.html?.v=49
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/business/media/16adco.html
http://www.nielsenmedia.com